Rock in the tank?

[bnii]

I bought some beautiful rocks to make some shelter and a place for my fish to lay eggs. Can I put these in my tank since I got them from a rock store for construction? I pressure washed them with filtered water at work, and plan on soaking them in the water from my tank from water changes for a few days. Is that ok?

 

[cburkhart78]

Depends on what kind of rock it is.Some like limestone will change the pH.Without knowing what type you have, it would be a good idea to get some test strips for pH and hardness and see if the water changes after a couple of days of soaking.Also, if the rocks have pyrite(fool's gold)you don't want to use them.If you write a description of them(a pic would be better) someone might be able to give you some better advice.

 

[bnii]

Thank you, I will take pics, tried to right now but the batteries were dead. To many pics of the tank lol. I will take pics and post them tomorrow.

 

[cburkhart78]

No problem.

 

[Oddball]

In Oregon, check out some of the gift shops (especially around Portland & Eugene) for local pieces of petrified wood. Most OR fossil wood is an agate or opalization replacement. These can safely be used in aquariums. Also, along the coast you can find fossil whale bone, blue-agate replaced crepedula shells, petrified toredo wood, Xanthopsis sp. fossil crabs, and several different colors of jade. All of these are also good candidates for incorporating into aquarium decor.

 

[ewurm]

Most igneous and metamorphic rocks are OK, sedimentary rocks can be a problem. I also recommend the test mentioned earlier.